Pat Knight will lead the Cardinals into the NIT Season Tip-Off for the first time since 1985

Sept. 11, 2012

BEAUMONT - Lamar University will open its men's basketball season at the 2012 NIT Season Tip-Off and the Cardinals learned Tuesday that they would face Midwest Regional host Kansas State in the opening round.

Lamar and third-seeded Kansas State will tip at 7 p.m., and the Nov. 12 game will be streamed live on ESPN3. The other two teams in the Midwest Regional, North Texas and Alabama-Huntsville, will tip at 9:30 p.m. It is a 16-team field with Michigan, Virginia and Pittsburgh serving as the other regional hosts.

The two winners will then face each other the following day at either 6 or 9 p.m. with the game being televised on ESPN2. The winner of that game will travel to New York City's Madison Square Garden for the semifinals and finals to be held Nov. 21 and Nov. 23, respectively.

"Once again, the NIT Season Tip-Off field is outstanding," said C.M. Newton, a member of the Naismith Hall of Fame and in his eighth year as chair of the NIT. "This tournament has been an early showcase of the best in college basketball, and many times you see these teams competing deep in the NCAA championship come March."

The two losing teams in the Midwest Regional will meet on Nov. 13. The 12 schools that do not advance to Madison Square Garden will play third- and fourth-round doubleheaders Nov. 19 and 20 on the campuses of the three highest remaining seeds.

Top-seeded Michigan will serve as host of the North Regional which will include Bowling Green, Cleveland State and IUPUI. The East Regional will see fourth-seeded Pittsburgh hosting Fordham, Lehigh and Robert Morris. The South Regional will be hosted by second-seeded Virginia and will include Delaware, Fairfield and Penn.